Cowon iAudio Q5W Cowon’s attempt to steal Archos’s crown
There aren’t many fields in the tech industry that you could argue are dominated by a particular make and model of hardware, but we believe the PMP (portable media player) market to be one of them. So impressive has Archos’s range of players been over the last couple of years that it’s difficult to see how someone else could compete.
A high-profile launch into this market would be a ballsy move then, but it’s one that Cowon hasn’t shied away from with the release of the iAudio Q5W. It’s finished in black with a dominating 5-inch display and a nice range of connectivity that includes a full sized USB port - so you can transfer content from devices such as digital cameras or MP3 players - and a proprietary connection for A/V output through the supplied composite/component lead. The latter is a nice touch since it means you can hook the device up to your TV or audio system directly.
(more…)
Tagged Under : Bluetooth, Cowon, mp3, mp3 player, Radio, TV, USB
Sony - NW-A806
Where other companies have attempted to usurp Apple’s dominance of the MP3 player market by offering alternative features such as video playback, higher capacities and cheaper prices, Sony is the closest yet to taking it on at its own game.
Traditionally Sony’s players are solidly built, stylish and make no compromises over audio, both in terms of quality and control. The new A800 range is Nano-esque in shape and design, and retains the same control system as the popular A1000 series. A directional pad, menu buttons and side-mounted volume control make it as easy to operate as they come, which is a good thing considering the wealth of options available to control your media. (more…)
Tagged Under : mp3 player, mp4 player, Sonicstage, Sony
Creative - Zen Stone Plus
Earlier this year Creative released a simple music player called the Zen Stone, as an obvious rival to Apple’s iPod Shuffle. The big advantage of the Zen Stone was its price, but it was quite basic. Now the company has released the Zen Stone Plus, which adds a number of extras including a display, FM radio, voice recording, a watch/stopwatch and twice the memory.
The most obvious addition is the display, and the 64 x 64 pixel, blue OLED screen has enough room to show the current track title, battery status, graphic equaliser (which includes four presets) and time, but disappointingly, it doesn’t show album or artist. (more…)
Tagged Under : Creative, Ipod, mp3, mp3 player, TravelSound, zen stone plus
Sandisk - Sansa View
Sandisk’s Sansa e200 series of ‘Nano killers’ received rave reviews across the market last year, playing a large part in putting the memory specialist’s portable player range back on the map.
Despite the fact that it couldn’t trump Apple’s aesthetics, Sony’s sound or Archos’s adaptability, it taught all of these companies a lesson in value for money. The road to the next generation, the Sansa View, was a bumpy one, seeing Sandisk abandon its plans for an Archos-style PMP in favour of a more traditional Nano-type design.
After getting our hands on one, we’re not convinced that this was the best choice; the new Sansa is a pretty chunky player and, while this allows it to offer a 2.4-inch widescreen display and an excellent 35 hour (7 for video) battery life, we must admit to expecting something a little more compact. The dimensions (108 x 49 x 9mm, weighing 82g) are those of your average sized mobile phone.
In terms of features, you’ll find support for MP3, WAV, WMA, secure WMA and Audible formats, along with JPEG photos and improved video support that now includes DivX-encoded MPEG-4 in addition to WMV and H.264. There’s also an FM radio and voice recorder built in.
All of this is controlled by a traditionally styled mechanical scroll wheel and a single ‘Home’ button which allows you to quickly skip in and out of applications. (more…)